Wtc Twin
 9-11 WTC TWIN TOWERS Ground Zero FDNY NYC Photo US $9.99 
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I was in NYC on 9/11/2001. I was living up in Inwood, which is the northern most portion of Manhattan, "the tip of the island", 207th and Broadway where the "A" begins and ends. I was surfing the Internet at the time in my studio which overlooked the Dyckman House, the oldest remaining farmhouse on Manhattan. My mother called me and said "They hit it! They hit the building", or something to that effect. I didn't have a television at the time so I hustled over to my local bar and watched the events from there.
About 10 minutes went by when the owner looked at me and asked me if I was drinking. I told him, "No, I just want to watch what's happening." "If you're not drinking, you'll have to leave," he said. Maybe he was having a bad day too. I paused for a moment and then quietly left the bar disgusted.
I walked over to the local barbershop and asked my barber if I could watch the events from there because I didn't have a television. She said, "Sure." About 10 minutes went by and then she asked me "Are you going to get a haircut?" I said, trying to remain calm, "No, I just want to watch what's happening". She remained quiet and I stayed for a about another 15 minutes until I couldn't stand being there anymore. Actually, I couldn't stand being anywhere anymore at that moment. Maybe these people didn't realize the severity of the situation at the time. Or perhaps, in a moment, they realized..we all realized...how helpless we actually were and that nothing we could do or say would change it. Either way, I found the experience surreal even being so far away from Ground Zero.
After walking around Inwood Hill Park for about an hour taking in the morning's events, I went over to my friend's apartment. I walked in only to see the "WTC" tickets we had purchased sitting on her entry table. We had been up on the Observation Deck of the Twin Towers just two weeks prior. A little creepy to say the least. Beth lived near the George Washington Bridge so we were able to step outside and see the smoldering aftermath from there. An hour passed, we went back to her place, sitting silently on her couch watching the news for the rest of the day.
Thank you Beth for just being there. It's been 7 years since 9/11. None of us will forget what happened that day but I will never forget how my faith in humanity shifted on many levels not only because of what was happening downtown but also because of what I saw and experienced with some people in my neighborhood. Time heals. Slowly. My faith in the bar owner and in the barber has been restored. It wasn't out of anything they said or did in the days or weeks after the events of 9/11. It probably had to do with the fact I couldn't actually live with the thought that they acted this way all the time, even if they did.
None of us are perfect. Beth and I have lost contact over the years but I'm sure she hasn't changed and that's a good thing. What did I learn from this? Keep looking at the bigger picture. Keep looking outside of myself. Help where I can. I'll be the first to admit its not easy nor do I come close to remembering to do that in every situation. But it is something worth striving for to make life more comfortable for the people I come in contact with on a daily basis.
In the words of Michael Josephson, "Character counts." Ray Schiel
Ray Schiel is the Organizer of The Global Social Media Network and the Social Media/Business Marketing Meetup Group in Los Angeles. He helps artists, bands and companies understand the value of using Social Media in their business. He can be found at various Social Media sites including Facebook and Myspace. His blog can be found at http://www.globalsocialmedianetwork.com or follow him on Twitter - raygsmn.
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